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Board directs staff to analyze options for Old Courthouse: further testing, renovation or demolition
Summary
After presentations of 2023 asbestos/lead testing and a 2025 mold and moisture assessment that identified widespread contamination and moisture intrusion in several spaces, the Board asked the county administrator to prepare needs and cost estimates comparing renovation, partial preservation and demolition/add‑on alternatives and return with a report by the September meetings.
County staff presented multiple environmental and space‑needs studies for the Old Courthouse (the Rivercomb/Old Courthouse complex), including a 2023 asbestos and lead‑paint survey and a 2025 mold and moisture assessment. The studies identified widespread asbestos‑containing materials (floor tile, mastic, roof sealants and other materials), detectable lead paint in multiple structural components and elevated mold spore counts in key interior rooms tied to moisture intrusion.
Staff told the board that the 2023 asbestos sampling did not cover every inaccessible area and recommended a more targeted survey to quantify unknowns; that firm also advised preparing an asbestos operations & maintenance plan for areas left undisturbed or engaging licensed abatement if materials are removed. The 2025 report found elevated fungal spore counts in the judge’s chambers and Commonwealth’s attorney spaces and recommended HVAC inspection, duct cleaning, repairs to the building envelope to stop water intrusion and mold remediation by a qualified contractor.
Board members debated three paths: (1) further targeted testing and remediation of specific affected areas; (2) a full renovation and modernization (with the risk of large change‑orders because more contaminated materials may be uncovered during work); or (3) demolition and new construction with salvage of historically valuable masonry/cladding for reuse. Several supervisors stressed the historical value of some brick and jail components and asked staff to include preservation options in cost comparisons.
The board directed County Administrator Smolnick to assemble a rough needs assessment (org chart, rough square‑footage requirements for county departments currently using leased space), and to produce a side‑by‑side cost comparison of renovating the Old Courthouse versus an addition to the Rivercomb building, and to return with that information at the board’s next September meeting. Staff said an invitation‑to‑bid or further architectural study would be the next step if the board decides to pursue renovation.
